PhD student in wood-based sustainable materials for organic solar cells

Skilled and committed employees are a crucial factor in the success of Linköping University. And we need more of them. Our core expertise comes from teachers and researchers, but a successful university requires experienced and motivated employees in many fields. Everyone is important. We need to recruit many new employees thanks to, among all, an expansion in our research activity. We need you here. We look forward to receiving your application!

The Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology conducts research and offers education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Research, the predominant activity, is often done in collaboration with corporate and international partners. We are one of the university’s largest, oldest and most well known departments, encompassing five interacting scientific fields: biology, chemistry, material physics, applied physics and theory and modelling.
Read more at https://liu.se/en/organisation/liu/ifm

Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC) is a research center striving for scientific excellence with a focus on new materials from trees. The center creates knowledge and builds competence for an innovative and sustainable future value creation from forest raw materials. WWSC is a multidisciplinary collaboration between KTH, Chalmers, and Linköping University. The base is a donation from Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, and the forest industry is supporting WWSC via the national platform Treesearch.

We are looking for a PhD student in wood-based sustainable materials for organic solar cells, at the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM)

Your work assignments
Organic solar cells (OSCs) are based on semiconducting carbon-based materials, which absorb visible light and transform the solar energy into electrical energy. Compared with the commercial silicon solar cells, OSCs have unique advantages. For example, they can be manufactured through low-cost printing technologies (organic semiconductors can be dissolved in organic solvents and thus used as ink); they can be made semi-transparent with selectable colors which can be used architecturally in building integration, thus delivering both aesthetic and environmental benefits; OSCs have a shorter energy payback time compared with other solar cells technologies (energy needed for production of OSCs is available after six months of use under typical sunlight conditions in northern Europe).

OSCs were traditionally limited by their relatively low efficiency (around 10%). However, the situation has now significantly changed during the past few years, with a high power conversion efficiency approaching 20%. This project will pair wood-based sustainable materials with high-efficiency organic solar cells, for example, using wood-based materials as the substrate of organic solar cells. The PhD studies will include processing of materials and components, together with characterization of optoelectronic material properties and device performance.

As a doctoral student, you devote most of your time to doctoral studies and the research projects of which you are part. Your work may also include teaching or other departmental duties, up to a maximum of 20% of full-time.

Your workplace
The group led by Prof. Feng Gao focuses on solution-processed energy materials/ devices, mainly based on semiconducting perovskites and organic semiconductors. The group is part of the Division of Electronic and Photonic Materials, where we develop photonic and electronic materials energy conversion and storage. In addition, this project will be performed in close collaboration with Prof. Mats Fahlman at Laboratory of Organic Electronics (LOE).

The PhD student will be part of a graduate school within the Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC).

Your qualifications
You have graduated at Master’s level in Physics, Chemistry, Materials or a related field with a minimum of 240 credits, at least 60 of which must be in advanced courses Physics, Chemistry, Materials or a related field. Alternatively, you have gained essentially corresponding knowledge in another way.

It is an advantage to have prior experimental experience of what is described in the job description above— especially that related to materials/device development, and/or physics. You should be highly motivated and have excellent skills in working collaboratively as part of a team. You are expected to openly share information pertaining to their research with other group members and contribute to scientific discussions concerning their and other group members’ work.

Undertake the research activities described in the Project description of work and as requested by the Supervisor. Manage own academic research and administrative activities. This involves small scale project management, to co-ordinate multiple aspects of work to meet deadlines. Act as a source of information and advice to other members of the group on scientific protocols and experimental techniques. If asked to by your supervisor, take responsibility for specific equipment and laboratory infrastructure, including equipment maintenance, to enable the smooth running of the laboratory.

Please include a Letter of Intent, specifying:
1, why you want to do a PhD,
2, why you are interested in this position, and
3, why you believe that you are qualified for this position.

Terms of employment
When taking up the post, you will be admitted to the program for doctoral studies.
More information about the doctoral studies at each faculty is available at Doctoral studies at Linköping University

The employment has a duration of four years’ full-time equivalent. You will initially be employed for a period of one year. The employment will subsequently be renewed for periods of maximum duration two years, depending on your progress through the study plan. The employment may be extended up to a maximum of five years, based on the amount of teaching and departmental duties you have carried out. Further extensions can be granted in special circumstances.

Starting date
By agreement.

Salary and employment benefits
The salary of doctoral students is determined according to a locally negotiated salary progression.

More information about employment benefits at Linköping University is available here.

Union representatives
Information about union representatives, see Help for applicants .

Application procedure
Apply for the position by clicking the “Apply” button below. Your application must reach Linköping University no later than 25 November.

Applications and documents received after the date above will not be considered.

We welcome applicants with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives – diversity enriches our work and helps us grow. Preserving everybody’s equal value, rights and opportunities is a natural part of who we are. Read more about our work with: Equal opportunities .

We look forward to receiving your application!

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URL to this page
https://liu.se/en/work-at-liu/vacancies?rmpage=job&rmjob=20326&rmlang=UK